Living within a culture that values fame and stardom, celebrities enjoy followership, attention, and admiration from their fans. The appreciation of a famous person’s work may expand to include interest in their lifestyle and the desire to emulate it. It is often the most pliable, impressionable people – children, adolescents, and young adults – who form the majority of celebrity fanbases. In their blind adoration for a favorite star and during the life period where finding mentorship is of high importance, they often choose celebrities as role models. Considering the immense amount of influence celebrities have on their followers, the former should stay aware of their public image and the societal impact of their actions. This essay argues that while celebrities have the right to live their lives as they see fit, they should be aware of their influential position and use it to spread positive ideas.
The rise of social media is one of the reasons why celebrities should pay attention to their image and reputation now more than ever. Previously, even though celebrities were in the limelight of public attention, the speed at which the information would spread was slow. Readers and viewers only had news highlights, occasional documentaries, and magazine stories to learn about their idols. The Internet and social media changed the situation dramatically as today a single post can gain millions of views in a matter of hours. At the same time, fans have become even more intimate witnesses to the previously private parts of celebrities’ lives. This level of access is only one click away, which explains their massive followership. According to Clement (2019), the most popular Instagram accounts belong to celebrities. The football player Cristiano Ronaldo is followed by 238 million people, the pop singer Ariana Grande – 203 million, and the makeup mogul Kylie Jenner has 196 million followers. Famous people have never been as visible as they are today, which gives them an unprecedented amount of influence.
Furthermore, researchers observe record social media use rates among young people who, as explained previously, are the most impressionable and malleable demographic. Clement (2019) reports that the majority of the global Internet users who partake in social media activities to keep up with and follow celebrities are young people. On the Internet, celebrities reach a whopping 72% of users aged 16-24, and 64% of individuals are between 25 and 34 years old (Clement, 2019). Aside from teenagers’ inclination to seek role models, such figures can also be explained by the demographic’s increased activity on social media as compared to people in other age groups. Orben (2020) synthesizes evidence gathered over the last ten years and reports that between 69 and 90% of teenagers aged 13-17 have at least one social media account. While the healthy recreational screen time is no more than two hours, teens easily spend up to seven hours per day on their gadgets (Orben, 2020). Considering the aforementioned points, young people constitute the most considerable social group influenced by celebrities on the Internet.
The youth of today does not just admire celebrities – they are seeking to mimic their habits and adopt their values. Young people are not yet set in their ways, and, as they do the necessary soul-searching, it is the lifestyle of the rich and famous that often becomes their North Star. In part, this process is natural as the onset of puberty is often marked with a young person’s departure, if not an active rejection of their parent’s authority. While youth turn to peers for approval, they choose celebrities as the often unattainable but desired ideal. Gergely (2017) discusses this phenomenon from the standpoint of the social learning theory put forward by the renowned psychologist Albert Bandura. According to the social learning theory, a person acquires new behaviors through observing and imitating others (Gergely, 2017). Among other things, observational learning is persistent due to its efficiency and “time effectiveness.” As Gergely (2017) puts it, an observation often occurs in place of experimentation. Thus, youth lives vicariously through celebrities and may later make similar choices if they are happy with the perceived outcomes of their lifestyle.
It is important to note that celebrities are responsible for the normalization of many behaviors that may have been previously perceived as unusual or unwanted. Celebrities set beauty trends that their followers, especially females, try to emulate. Such trends range from innocuous, such as nail design or haircuts, to extremely invasive, potentially unhealthy, and posing a danger to one’s mental and physical health. Jung and Hwang (2016) find that North American female mass media consumers are especially vulnerable to social “crazes.” The researchers name TV shows such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians and its stars as some of the most influential trendsetters. In the absence of any tangible talent, they are known for their endless beauty transformations and surgical enhancements, which is interpreted by viewers as a predisposition, if not key, to success.
As the social learning theory suggests, the viewers socialize through TV stars. They take note of rewards and punishments following particular choices and behaviors. For instance, the family’s youngest member, Kylie Jenner, came into prominence after using the infamous lip fillers to give her lips a fuller look (Jung & Hwang, 2016). Though the makeup mogul denied all accusations, it soon became apparent that she owed her makeover to cosmetic interventions. Jung and Hwang (2016) cite a source that reports a 50% increase in lip filler requests from cosmetology clients. Similarly, the number of buttock lifts surged by 86%, potentially owing its popularity to some of the Kardashian family members. In other words, celebrities inspire fans to pursue their fabricated ideas and resort to making unnecessary changes, some of which may as well be permanent.
Indeed, celebrities’ influence has not only an immediate but also a long-term effect on many aspects of society. In recent years, celebrities have become more political than ever, especially in highly polarized Democratic countries such as the United States. While, previously, entertainers chose to speak out only about their art, fashion choices, and personal lives, at present they make political statements and are not afraid to share their views. Furthermore, those who abstain from making their position clear may be labeled apathetic and indifferent. It seems that celebrities have the potential to make a difference in the political arena. Simultaneously, Zilinsky et al. (2020) discovered that celebrities’ political endorsement did not lower followers’ engagement. Fans were not annoyed with political posts, and an opposite tendency emerged. As observed by Zilinsky et al. (2020), political messages either cheerleading one candidate or criticize the other would lead to a surge in reposts. Therefore, celebrities do impact their fans’ political choices, which, in turn, shapes the political situation on a larger scale. Moreover, famous people may feel excessive pressure to engage in politics, and abstaining from it may negatively impact their careers.
The negative impact of celebrity culture is not occasional, local, or sporadic. It is profound, and it shapes society in such ways that consequences are hard to overcome. Srivastava et al. (2018) name mass media as one of the key drivers behind the mental health crisis in the West. Celebrities show the idealized version of their lives that is not attainable nor even existing in the real world. By comparing themselves to celebrities, regular people may develop inadequate expectations of themselves, careers, relationships, and the world on the whole. In turn, depression and anxiety are social ills that hurt economic growth, the integrity of communities and put a heavy burden on health care. In fact, celebrities are not only setting trends in beauty and fashion – they are among those who steer the direction in which society evolves or regresses. In the age of globalization, such tendencies spread quickly, and influencers’ personalities play a major role, affecting their followers.
Being an independent thinker is a rewarding path to choose and a protective factor against many harmful decisions. Fans of celebrities have the freedom to decide for themselves whether they want to follow the trends or pursue their own goals blindly. To a certain degree, this argument is solid, yet it dismisses an important fact grounded in biological reality. Sherman et al. (2018) argue that the teenage and young adult brain cannot be compared to the brain of a more mature person. In particular, scholars point out that the younger adolescent brain is highly sensitive to affect and reward processing. Youth react more sharply to social rewards and cultural cues and let them drive their behavior and moderate their decision-making. These processes are inevitable because such social learning and attunement to one’s surroundings are essential for transitioning into adulthood. Hence, young fans can exert control over themselves only to a certain extent, leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of toxic celebrity culture.
Evidently, celebrities are not the primary agents of socialization, and therefore, their influence may be so minuscule, it might as well be negligible. This statement is not entirely wrong as people and systems influence the lives of young people to a varying degree. In fact, the social learning theory presents a hierarchy in which family and community are seen as the most influential, followed by the peer group, and only then by agents such as the media. However, what should not be overlooked is the rise of the media and stardom in the last two decades as compared to the time when the social learning theory was first introduced. Gergely (2017) provides supporting evidence for this claim as well as highlights the importance of role models for teenagers. The researcher reports that between 2012 and 2016, the share of teenagers that had a person that they held as ideal increased from roughly 50% to 75%. One-third of participants named a celebrity, which included athletes, singers, actors, models, and others, as their role models. Therefore, while the media is not the only source of influence, it cannot be disregarded.
The logical question arises as to how much autonomy celebrities should have to make personal choices. It is argued that behind their public mask, they are humans like everyone else and should have the right to live their lives as they see fit. Undoubtedly, the law grants them such freedoms as the right to marry, buy property, start and end careers, develop businesses, and do many other things. However, the situation becomes much more nuanced and complex than that when celebrities make a profit off or cause harm by telling lies or misrepresenting products or services. For example, some time ago, weight loss tea was broadly advertised on Instagram by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Iggy Azalea, Cardi B, and others. They insisted on the miraculous effects of the beverage and the effortless weight loss. In the meantime, the US Food and Drug Administration (2015) warns consumers against such products, stating that they are primarily diuretics and laxatives with a host of side effects. Thus, celebrities’ rights should end where regular people’s rights begin, and those are the rights to truthful and complete information.
Celebrities’ influence is not inherently positive or negative, as the only definite fact is its undeniable existence. It is important to counterweight the rather dismal side of the celebrity culture with positive examples of famous people being role models. Bridging the gaps of social inequalities is one of the things that celebrities can and should do by either directly contributing to a cause or existing as a lived example of overcoming adversity. Adamson and Kelan (2019) focus on the issue of gender equality and, in particular, poor female representation in the business field. The scholars single out women to whom they refer as “female heroes.” Their key characteristics are their “confidence to jump over gendered barriers, control in managing these barriers, and courage to push through them (Adamson & Kelan, 2019, p. 986).” According to Adamson and Kelan (2019), the same leadership behaviors in men and women are interpreted differently. The autobiographical narratives of female executives can give girls the perceived permission to act out their ambitions. Undoubtedly, when possessing such colossal influence, celebrities should utilize it to meet higher ends and address meaningful causes.
At present, famous people have reached an unprecedented level of influence on their followers. As the use of social media increases at a rapid pace, regular people can see the details of celebrities’ personal lives. As a result, fans adopt celebrities’ values, attempting to copy their lifestyles and even undergoing medical procedures to look like their idols. Famous people’s influence extends further, comprising matters that are beyond their primary spheres, as they openly express their sociopolitical views. As the presented research suggests, teenagers and young adults form the majority of the celebrities’ follower base. Being at a crucial point of personal development, these age groups are particularly vulnerable to external influence from their idols. Considering the aforementioned factors, famous people should take more responsibility for the image they are translating and the values they promote. Their freedom to self-expression ends where the rights of their followers begin, and the latter deserves to receive reliable information and stay in good mental and physical health.
References
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Clement, J. (2019). Share of internet users worldwide who use social media to keep up with and follow celebrities as of 1st quarter 2018, by age group. Statista.
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Sherman, L. E., Greenfield, P. M., Hernandez, L. M., & Dapretto, M. (2018). Peer influence via Instagram: Effects on brain and behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Child development, 89(1), 37–47.
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Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P. S., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and mental health. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 27(1), 1–5. Web.
The US Food and Drug Administration. (2015). Beware of products promising miracle weight loss. Web.
Zilinsky, J., Vaccari, C., Nagler, J., & Tucker, J. A. (2020). Don’t Republicans tweet too? Using Twitter to assess the consequences of political endorsements by celebrities. Perspectives on Politics, 18(1), 144–160. Web.